Undisclosed Donors Mix With GA Leaders

Hundreds of people are expected to gather Sunday near the state House for the annual Wild Hog Supper and a chance to mingle with Georgia leaders.

But the popular event also shows how lobbyists in the state can avoid disclosing some expenditures.

The event is funded by the nonprofit group Friends of Agriculture Foundation Inc. Ticket sales benefit the Georgia Food Bank Association. The foundation's officers are lobbyists.
Treasurer Don Cargill says the foundation is a charity and does not lobby, so it doesn't have to disclose its donors.

The group Common Cause Georgia says the event shows a loophole in state lobbying rules that his organization wants closed.

Legislators are likely to debate the legal definition of a lobbyist in the upcoming session.